Given the floor in Monday night’s Zoom meeting of the Marion Marine Resources Commission, Harbormaster Isaac Perry made a point amidst a lengthy report of refuting a comment made by Dr. Edward Hoffer, who characterized three full-time, year-round department staffers as “overkill” during a meeting last week with assembled press to announce his candidacy for the Select Board seat that John Waterman will vacate in May.

            Hoffer spoke to several issues facing the town, but Perry told the MRC that he has “been bombarded with calls” about his remark vis-a-vis harbormaster department staffing.

            The department is already reeling due to the reclassification of Associate Harbormaster/Shellfish Officer Adam Murphy’s job, which will result in an increased departmental budget for FY23. Police-reform measures have also trickled down to the Harbormaster Department, resulting in greater expense.

            “I would have to outsource things,” said Perry if his staff were to be cut and said that would result in greater expense to the town. “I don’t think this is the time to put on the brakes and go into cruise control in managing the harbor.”

            In response to Select Board member John Waterman’s request for a revenue and expense report, Perry told the MRC on Monday that the department has collected an all-time-high $478,000 in revenue. A fee increase in 2019 netted an additional $35,000.

            Increased costs in maintenance and overtime due to the reclassification of employees raised expenses to approximately $468,000, leaving the department only $10,000 ahead.

            Perry told the MRC that he would meet with Town Administrator Jay McGrail on Tuesday and would forward to the MRC a FY15-21 revenues and expenses report that will highlight two dozen main responsibilities that fall on the Harbormaster Department. “It answers a lot of the questions as to what you guys do in the offseason,” said Perry.

            Perry estimates that revenue increased by $115,000 via the “hands-on management of the big picture that has gotten us to this point. We don’t pat ourselves on the back a lot, but that’s an impressive number,” he said, crediting town office staff for helping the department reach this point.

            Moorings and boats, said Perry, make up the primary revenue source to the town’s Waterways account. The current transition to a smaller office space and records being kept in a separate location has slowed the process of printing out 2022 invoices, he said.

            Since the town sold its Atlantis Drive property, storage has been at a premium and according to Perry, became “painfully obvious during repairs from the storm.” He said a capital project from a few years ago to replace channel markers has them sitting outside for lack of indoor storage.

            Following the lead of the Council on Aging, plans are in place for two 20-foot containers at Island Wharf for equipment storage. The showers under the current harbormaster’s office are being used for paints, batteries and tools.

            “Ultimately, the plan is to take over what (will by then be) the former DPW site,)” said Perry, projecting out a couple of years.

            MRC Chairman Vin Malkoski applauded Perry’s effort.

            Perry also reported that commercial mooring transfer regulations, approved by the MRC in November and eventually the Select Board, have been updated and are now online. Since then, Perry said no requests for license applications have been made. “Much like the aquaculture regulations, we’re not looking to advertise this stuff, just want to have something in writing for past practice,” he said.

            The only change in the regulation was the addition of a sentence indicating that the town allows the transfer of commercial moorings to marine-related businesses, something Perry acknowledged has been a past practice, only now it is codified. He estimates Marion has 1,400 moorings on the books with a little over 1,300 of them active. “I credit a lot of it to that mooring database,” he said.

            In his report, Murphy told the commission that senior biologist Greg Sawyer is retiring and called him “a great resource for us. We’re really going to miss Greg; he was always there when we needed him.”

            Malkoski noted that he has prior experience working with Matt Camisa, Sawyer’s replacement who was running surveys for the state’s Marine Fisheries department.

            Marion is waiting on the availability of a 200-horsepower, outboard motor replacement for its pump-out boat. In 2021, the town pumped out 876 boats or 16,000 gallons of waste. The town has a 300-horsepower, outboard motor in storage but would not chance its installation on the pump-out boat. “It would be fun for a couple of minutes, though, I’m sure,” said Perry.

            MRC member Peter Borsari asked about the smaller boats Marion used to have. “We’ve certainly looked at that. Adam has let the harbor use his personal boat,” noted Perry, who said that the town used to have a 13-foot Carolina skiff. “Now smallest they make is 18-foot.”

            Perry said they could rig a smaller engine to the pump-out boat but would not be sufficiently equipped to leave the harbor.

            Regarding the Maritime Center, Marion’s next grant application into the Seaport Economic Council must be delivered by May 1. The working plan is to begin construction on the Maritime Center in 2023, said Perry with any work to update the bathrooms and storage space to be done after completion of the main facility.

            Parking, said Perry, is something that the town plans to address on a village-wide scale. Perry credited Murphy for donating equipment for short-term parking solutions.

            MRC member Greg Houdelette asked about the drainage swales at Island Wharf. Perry said that an arborist visited the site, and that since only “a handful of things” could be saved the plan is to clear-cut the area, plant grass and other plantings that won’t completely overrun. “The key there is maintenance,” said Perry, noting that the area has not been touched for several years.

            Malkoski said that once in-person meetings are back in swing, the MRC will try to get its meetings back into the Music Hall.

            The next MRC meeting is scheduled for Monday, February 28, at 7:00 pm.

Marion Marine Resources Commission

By Mick Colageo

            The Marion Board of Health heard from the Fire Department on a new EMS program during the former’s January 20 public meeting.

            “It’s really a changing dynamic in the fire service in that we want to learn more about our community and learn different ways where we can help people in our community,” explained Fire Chief Brian Jackvony. “Years ago, it was strictly geared towards fire prevention. Most of our response to incidents was geared towards fire prevention, but today we’re looking at programs that fall into the umbrella of community-risk reduction, and that’s where we’re looking to take our community EMS program.”

            Fire Lieutenant Lyle McKay attended the meeting and is serving as the Fire Department’s local expert.

            “As part of community EMS, there is no charge to get a license for it. … Marion is very fortunate to have the programs in place that they have. This is the most-proactive community that I’ve been a part of. It’s been really good with senior outreach so a lot of this stuff’s already going on,” said McKay. “We’re not looking to take any of that over or change anything, we’re just supplementing it.”

            Board of Health Chairman Dr. Ed Hoffer asked for the packet to be mailed out to the board and asked about funding. McKay said the program is not grant-funded but is something fire personnel is expected to carry out during regular working hours.

            Noticing home safety evaluations listed among the programs, Hoffer posed a hypothetical scenario about seniors needing grab bars for their shower and railings. “Recommendations would be a first step for us,” said McKay. “I do agree that some type of grant money down the road … would be appropriate.”

            Jackvony said the Fire Department works with the Council on Aging to point residents in the right direction for services.

            “As far as the grants, we have taken advantage for the last five or six years of a Safe Grant through the (state) Department of Fire Services, and a couple of things that are listed in this package have been paid for directly from the grant from DFS, which is called the Senior Safe Grant,” said Jackvony. “We started with the residential lock-box program. Say there was somebody in the community that had mobility issues and that person would fall in their home, the Fire Department would have immediate access to the home through a secure lock box.

            “We have many of those out in the community. There is no charge for those, we’ve gotten all those through a grant program.”

            With a drop-off in costs over the past year, the Fire Department opted to apply the grant to the assembly and installation of 200 reflective street-address signs. Fire Department personnel work on those in between calls.

            Jackvony said that identifying the right programs and available funding for those programs is “all about getting people to stay in their homes longer and stay in their homes safer.”

            He told the board that some other communities in both Bristol and Plymouth counties are enjoying success with the program.

            Board member Dr. John Howard asked about coordination with the Council on Aging. Jackvony said that it is common for COA representation at the department’s safety meetings.

            Howard asked for the top two priorities. Jackvony said the next step after reflective street signs and the lock box program is home-safety evaluation. McKay agreed and added fall prevention as part of that home evaluation.

            The board voted unanimously to endorse the program and help any way it can.

            Health Agent Ana Wimmer told the board she has started an online filing system for Marion’s septic files by address. Board member Dot Brown said she will help with the arduous task of scanning that information, a project Wimmer said could last a year or two.

            Wimmer said that Norm Hills sent back comments on the dumpster regulations and recommended stricter definition of fines. Wimmer said Mashpee, for instance, fines $500 for the first offense of commercial waste haulers, graduating upward to $1,000 and then $5,000.

            The board approved the dumpster regulations, and a draft memo will follow and next month a public hearing.

            Health Nurse Lori Desmarais reported on Covid cases. As of January 20, Marion totaled 910 cases including approximately 100 active cases. There were 189 active cases over the two weeks prior. Marion’s positivity rate was at 11.8 percent. There were 158 cases in December. That number increased to 296 in the January 1-20 period. Desmarais said the increase is typical of the rest of the state. There has been one Marion Covid death in January.

            The Sippican nursing home had strong vaccination rates and continue to test both rapid and PCR, but it wasn’t known on January 20 if booster shots have been widely distributed.

            Desmarais said that the highest rates of positive tests are among age groups 16-19 at 68 percent and 30-49 at 69 percent. The senior population is avoiding the virus. There have been only 10 January cases among ages 75 and over (six of those at Sippican nursing home,) and only eight cases among ages 65-74.

            As of January 20, Sippican Elementary School had two personnel in its test-and-stay program, eight in quarantine and 14 who tested positives and were in isolation. Sippican has had 110 cases during the 2021-22 academic year.

            At Old Rochester Regional Junior High School, there were two in quarantine and six positives in isolation. There have been 71 cases since the school year began, and at the high school there were two in quarantine and 11 positives in isolation. There have been 194 cases since the school year began.

            Desmarais said the state is moving away from the test-and-stay program in favor of testing at home and only symptomatic testing in ORR schools.

            Tabor Academy has had 109 cases this academic year.

            Marion held a Covid booster clinic on January 21 at the Cushing Community Center.

            The next meeting of the Marion Board of Health was not scheduled at adjournment.

Marion Board of Health

By Mick Colageo